A mainland businessman, who gambled away HK$50,000 at a casino in Cotai and worried about being chided by his wife, made a false crime report to the Judiciary Police (PJ), claiming that he had been defrauded by a currency exchange dealer, PJ spokesman Ho Chan Nam said at a regular press conference yesterday.

According to Ho, the Judiciary Police received a report from the 29-year-old gambler surnamed Liu last Tuesday night, claiming that he had been cheated by a currency exchange dealer out of HK$50,000 in cash. He also claimed that he had carried out a transaction with the currency exchange dealer at a casino in Cotai earlier that day after both agreed to exchange HK$50,000 for 46,500 yuan, and he alleged that after more than half an hour he had still not received any transfer from the currency exchange dealer.

Ho said that a PJ investigation found that Liu had been gambling alone during the period of time that he claimed to have been defrauded, and during that time he did not contact nor talk to anyone. Suspecting that Liu lied, the Judiciary Police summoned him last Thursday to the PJ headquarters in Zape for questioning, Ho added.

According to Ho, Liu admitted that he made the false fraud report as he was worried about being chastised by his wife about the gambling loss.

Liu was transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) on Wednesday, facing a charge of filing a false police report.

Hongkonger nabbed for smuggling drugs

Meanwhile, during yesterday’s press conference Ho also announced the arrest of a 25-year-old Hong Kong man surnamed Kwok for smuggling four packs of methamphetamine (aka ice) weighing 8.32 grams with an estimated street value of 28,000 patacas.

According to Ho, the Judiciary Police arrested the suspect on Wednesday evening when he entered Macau via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge (HZMB) checkpoint.

Under questioning, Kwok admitted that he had been promised a “commission” of HK$3,000 by a Hong Kong gang to smuggle the drugs to Macau and deliver them to drug addicts at local casinos.

Kwok was taken for a urine test and tested negative for drugs, Ho said, noting the Judiciary Police transferred him to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) yesterday, facing a drug trafficking charge. 

Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Ho Chan Nam poses during yesterday’s regular press conference at the PJ headquarters in Zape. – Photo: Yuki Lei